After a viral TikTok, Bostonians have become obsessed with sugary Swedish candy. People across the city are now toting around bags of Swedish candy from pick-and-mix stores such as Madeleine’s Candy Shop, The Sweetish Fish, and lil sweet treat. These bags are full of sugar-coated gummy treats that have flooded social media feeds and the American candy market over the past two years.
The craze began after a New Yorker’s TikTok video of her nightly outing for Swedish candy went viral in January 2024. The video (@marygracegraves) sparked widespread interest, turning Americans of all generations toward Swedish candy for their sugar fix. Since then, people have eagerly sought out the unique flavors and textures that this candy offers.
Swedish candy’s popularity is also fueled by its reputation as a healthier alternative to American candy. According to *The New Yorker*, Swedish candy is free of gluten, corn syrup, and trans fat—though, of course, it is still candy.
The owners of Madeleine’s Candy Shop, The Sweetish Fish, and lil sweet treat agree that the appeal of Swedish candy lies in its novelty and the universal love for sweets. In Sweden, candy has always been popular—particularly on Saturdays, thanks to a tradition called *lördagsgodis* (“Saturday sweets”). Medical authorities introduced *lördagsgodis* in the 1950s to encourage children to eat candy only once per week in an effort to curb rising tooth decay rates, according to the BBC.
Since then, *lördagsgodis* has remained a Saturday tradition in Sweden but has become almost a daily habit for some Bostonians.
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### Madeleine’s Candy Shop
That viral TikTok inspired Madeleine Brason to quit her health science job and open Madeleine’s Candy Shop in Boston’s South End. Brason, who has always had a sweet tooth, grew frustrated after repeatedly watching TikToks about Swedish candy while knowing there was nowhere to buy it locally. Her obsession, fueled by ordering candy from New York, led her to joke, “Why spend $5 on shipping from Bon Bon when I could just spend five figures and open my own store?”
Madeleine’s Candy Shop opened in February and recently expanded to include a soft-serve ice cream window, which launched on October 5. The menu features vanilla and maple soft-serve with sprinkles or candy toppings, priced at $1.50 per ounce. Customers can choose from 50 pick-and-mix bins filled with sweet or sour gummy candies and chocolates sourced from around the world. Brason’s personal favorite is the chocolate-covered gummy bears.
Each bag of candy comes with a pair of chopsticks—a nod to Brason’s habit of using chopsticks for everything after seeing the trend online as a way to keep hands clean while eating messy food.
The store initially stocked Bubs, the heart of the Swedish candy craze, known for their marshmallow texture and unique oval or skull shapes. However, customers emptied the Bubs bins within 10 minutes, so Brason now sells Bubs exclusively in pre-packaged bags to manage demand. Bubs have become so popular in America that the company even hosted a month-long pop-up store in New York City that lasted through October 22.
Eight months into running the shop, Brason cherishes her relationships with the local, tight-knit community. The customers often suggest new candies to stock, and they inspired the addition of the soft-serve window after Brason rented the adjacent first-floor space.
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### The Sweetish Fish
After discovering Swedish candy during a trip to New York City, Savanna Vaughn and Cara Crupi-Culmaine decided to bring Swedish candy to Cape Cod by launching a candy truck called The Sweetish Fish in June.
“We felt Swedish candy needed to come to Cape Cod and breathe new life into the penny candy experience,” said Vaughn, who was wearing a fish-themed sweater during an interview.
The Sweetish Fish expanded its daily selection, dubbed the Daily Catch, to a pop-up location in the Seaport in September, scheduled to remain open through February. The co-owners initially reached out to Snowport about opening in the market past the application deadline but were instead offered a pop-up space in The Current.
The shop, decorated with pink stripes and red fish motifs, offers about a dozen different candies daily for $1.75 per ounce. Customers can choose from three bag sizes—small, medium, and large—with those purchasing over a pound receiving a complimentary pink net bag to match the fish market theme.
While the Daily Catch selection is listed online, Vaughn described it as “just a fun thing where even if you came here yesterday with a friend, you would come tomorrow with the same friend and have a new experience.”
Bubs are offered every day on The Sweetish Fish menu because, as Vaughn explains, “Bubs are like the gateway to Swedish candy.” They also aim to introduce more candies with similar qualities.
Although Swedish candy’s fame grew through online exposure, the act of creating a pick-and-mix bag sparks conversation and community, with customers of all ages discussing the distinctive flavors and textures, the co-owners added.
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### lil sweet treat
Lil sweet treat first opened in New York City’s West Village in September 2024 and now operates six locations: four in New York, one in Philadelphia, and one in Boston.
Following numerous requests from “candy connoisseurs” for a Boston location, lil sweet treat opened its Newbury Street store in May, bringing Bostonians “a little extra joy through candy,” said founder Elly Ross.
Ross was inspired to open the candy store after sampling unique candies during her travels around the world. “I can’t go a meal without a sweet treat, and I knew from personal experience there are so many countries with excellent and unique candy,” she explained.
To curate her wide selection, Ross and her team continually search for the best candies globally, collaborating with gummy artisans. “The beauty of being human is that everyone has different taste buds,” she said. “We’re really looking to revitalize the candy space. Everyone, from any background and any age, loves candy, so how do we introduce new textures and flavors that might not be readily available anywhere else?”
Lil sweet treat offers online tips for building the perfect pick-and-mix bag: start with one or two textures, then contrast those textures and add complementary flavors.
The store features approximately 40 candy bins, with the selection changing every Monday at 5 p.m. Candy prices are $4.85 per quarter pound (about $1.21 per ounce).
As lil sweet treat quickly evolved into a franchise, Ross said her favorite part is “seeing the smiles of people who have a lil sweet treat in their hand.” The Boston store’s butter-yellow walls lined with candy bins and seasonal posters, recently decorated with pumpkins, candy corn, and leaves, offer a cheerful reminder that “you deserve a lil sweet treat.”
https://www.boston.com/news/business/2025/11/05/swedish-candy/